After beating nation's best, Hoggard soccer ready for state title game

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- The undefeated Hoggard High girls soccer team will play for the state 4A championship Saturday. To punch a ticket to the finals, Hoggard had to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation Leesville Road.

Sarah Clinard scored the game winner. Her teammates have calmed down just a bit, but not too much.

"It's like almost surreal," Chelsea Deliberto said. "It's really exciting, and I wanted it to happen, but it actually happening is amazing."

"I just see us playing well, playing with our hearts," Kristen Long said. "Coach teller has been saying that we need to have one heartbeat as a team, and that's how we're gonna play on Saturday. We're gonna play with one heartbeat."

Madyson Marshburn's confident as well. We caught up with her during physical therapy on Wednesday.

"I'm really not expecting to find a tougher team," she said. "I think the team we will play will be good, but I think that we'll be better."

Coach John Teller tried to keep things in perspective.

"There's people that coach and play for a long, long period of time that never even get to be in a state championship," he said. "I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be nice to win it, but it's great to be there, so we're gonna go and we're gonna give our best shot and hope we come away with a victory."

WWAY will be at the game Saturday night in Raleigh. We will have coverage Sunday morning on The Coach's Corner and the Cape Fear Sports Report.

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